Modeling of Attitude Determination and Control Subsystem (ADCS) for a 6U CubeSat for Tracking Objects in Space

In this thesis, an attitude determination and control system for a 6U CubeSat was developed and analyzed in Python, particularly concerning the satellite’s detumbling and the satellite’s alignment with a meteoroid. Various disturbances were implemented in order to achieve the most accurate representation of reality through the simulation. These include solar radiation pressure, gravity gradient effects, aerodynamic torque, and torque caused by the Earth’s magnetic field. In addition, the measured values of the sensors were subjected to noise. For detumbling, three magnetorquers were combined with two reaction wheels and proportional control. Compared to the configuration with three magnetorquers and no reaction wheels, these were convincing in that the detumbling was faster and more efficient. In contrast, the proposed solution was not convincing in the case of the satellite’s alignment with a meteoroid. This would require a more complex control system.     «

In this thesis, an attitude determination and control system for a 6U CubeSat was developed and analyzed in Python, particularly concerning the satellite’s detumbling and the satellite’s alignment with a meteoroid. Various disturbances were implemented in order to achieve the most accurate representation of reality through the simulation. These include solar radiation pressure, gravity gradient effects, aerodynamic torque, and torque caused by the Earth’s magnetic field. In addition, the measure...     »